Improvement in mechanical movements



3 Sheets-Sheet l.

M; WAPPIGH. MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

No. 44,681. Patented 00m. -11, 1864'.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. WAPPIOH.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

Patented Oct. 11,1864.

o-umo. WASHXNGTOM by c.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.-

M. WAPPIGH. MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

No. 44,681. Patented O0t.l1, -1864.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAXIMILIAN WAPPIOH, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENTIN MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 44,68 l. dated October 11,1864.

To all whom it may, concern.-

Be it known that I, MAXIMILIAN WAPPIGH, of Sacramento city, in the county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanical Movements, which I term a Universal Gear ing and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpartof this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improve ment arranged within a vsupporting-frame Fig. 2,,a plan view; Fig. 3, a View showing the spiral, lens-shaped thread of the drivingshaft appliedto a pin-wheel, which is partly shown in section; and Fig. 4, a view of a shifting-gearing to increase or decrease the velocity and power of the universal gearing. Fig. 5 shows my invention applied for communieating a fast and a slow motion from a single shaft. Figs. 6 and 7 show plans for employin g more. than one driving lens-shaped thread with asinglepin-wheel. Figs.9, 10, 11,12, 13, 14, 15,16,17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 indicate a few of the many uses to'which my invention may be applied, and hereinafter named. Figs. 22, 23, and 24 are diagrams for the purpose of aiding in the explanation of my improvement.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my inventionyl will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The invention which forms the subject of this application has for itsobject the transmission and increase of power in a simple and efficient manner, itbeing a very compact. and strong movement, working with but little friction.

The nature of my improvement consists in constructing the thread which works in the pin-wheel in the following manner, to wit The thread is formed by raising or projecting a lenticular-shaped bar spirally around a shaft A m in such manner that the groove formed bythe thread corresponds with the angles which the several pins in active contactwith the thread make with the tangent shaft, and gradually widens on one side toward one terminus, and on the opposite side toward the other terminus of the'lenticular thread; or, in other words, the lenticular-shaped bar is formed of two segments of a large circular disk, the chord of onemeeting and resting against the chord of the other. v

In the accompanying drawings, L, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, represents the pin-wheel, and .0 the shaft upon which it is supported.

M is the lentieular-shaped spiral thread raised or projected on the cylindrical shaft a. The pin-wheel and shaft are supported in a strong frame, 6, as shown, or in any manner required.

W is one of a series of pins in pin-wheel L. This pin is shown inclosed or surrounded by a friction rolling sleeve, 10, which is. held in place by the plate a screwed fast to said wheel. The pin \V being made fast in the wheel L or cast with the wheel, the rolling sleeve 10 is slipped over it, with its flanged base fitting in a recess in wheel L, as indicated, so that when the plate n is screwed to the wheel the roller 20 will be free to turn upon the. pin W, and yet be held securely in place. Thus friction is greatly reduced, and an equal wear all around the roller sleeve is insured.

Pins with sleeves such as described are placed in a circle at an uniform distance apart in the face of the wheel M, as represented.

I have designated the thread M as a spiral lenlicular-thread, because it partakes in its profile'ot' the form of a lens, and in this respect it differs from a screw-thread of any of the known orders, because in all screw-threads the sides of the groove are regular parallels, whereas the sides of my thread or projection which incloses the groove or depression are not regular parallels, but,.on the contrary, while the groove truly corresponds with the spiral pitch, it gradually recedes in converse directions in its course toward the'respective termini of the thread, in order to permit the free entry and escape of the pins at those points where the angles made by the pins with the tan gent thread deviate from a right angle.

In Figs. 22, 23, and 24 the exact construction of my inventionwill be seen at a glance,

and the fact that a common screw of uniformthickness will not at all times work snug in the spaces between the pins is illustrated by the dotted red lines in Fig. 24:.

In order to have a common screw-thread of uniform thickness work with a pin-wheel, the spaces between the pins must at all times be greater than the thickness of the thread,

from the fact that the angles which pins not perpendicular with the tangent shat't make with said shaft deviate from a right angle. With my invention I compensate for this d viation from aright angle-vim, by gradually diminishing the spiral thread in conv rse directions, and thus adapt the different pr rt'ons ot' the thread. to the angles at which tl e rontact takes place.

Thus far my invention gives a snug fit and an uniform movement, but in addition to this the converse taper ot the thread insures the engagement of it with two or more pins ot the wheel at one period of time-a thing not pr sable with a common screw-thread, nor with a screw thread formed of but one acuteangular bar, for the reason (with the screwthread) that two or more pins arranged in a circle cannot be in gear with such a thread at one time without binding. This is dueto the act that the groove has parallel sides and is oi uniform width throughout, and for the reason, with asingle acute-angular bar, that such thread is only adapted by its construction to take hold of but one pin, and never was designed to operate in any other manner. In Fig. 8 I have represented in black lines a bar in form of two acute angles with their bases meeting. This illustrates that myin- Vention has the properties of acompound spiral wedge; but whilethis is so lhetrue and proper shape is that shown by the red lines in said. figure and in black lines .i Fig 23.v Asrbefore intimated, the groove of my thread is rot formed of two regularly-parallel sides,- as is the case with a screw, but at and from the respec'ivc termini, toward the middle of the length of the thread, the groove isconeave in its wind, as represented in Fig. 23 113 the blacklines. -In this figure the red lines show theparallel sided groove of a common screw. v

The advantages of my construction of thread are First. The lenticular thread admits ofseveral turns thereofpassing between the pins of the wheel at one time, and thus double, thribble,

or manil'old the 'power which can be exerted with the common screw is exerted by it; and, besides this, the strain heiu g distributed, the durability and eflieiency 4 f the machine are great] y increased.

Second.' The lenticular thread can be accur'ately adjusted to the spaces between the pinwheel, and thus all the-vacant space or slack between the gearing-surfaces which naturally exists when the ordinary screw or spiral plane is used is avoided. Thus that necessary smooth and regular movement for reversing the machine 'is' secured, and security ag: inst jars or blows insured; and, besids this, my thread at its thinnest parts is as strong as the thickest part of the common screw-thread, and much stronger at its thickest part than any common screw thread of a given size. All of this increased strength is a clear gain in a machine of a given size.

Third. The lenticular shape of the thread at'-.,

fords an easy motion, as every part of. con tact presents a curve. It also admits ot' a ready and easy entrance and escapeiot' the pins of the pin-wheel.

The facts as to advantages and the practical operation of my invention have been proved by a practical test in the month of August, 1864, by the United States Govtirnment. The invention was applied to a ten-inch columbiad chassis at Fortress Monroe, and the gun, gun-carriage, and chassis, weighing about thirty thousand pounds, were traversed with ease by one man, as will be seen by reference to oflicial report at the War Department.

To more plainly, if possible, illustrate the working and action of my universal thread upon the pins of the pin-Wheel and distinguish it from the common screw-thread, I will illustrate, as follows In the common screw the motion is deri\ ed with regularity, the screw or spiral plane moving in a tangent line with the rotation of the pin-wheel-that is, while the screw or spiral plane moves regularly through even distances, the pin-wheel is caused, when the pin first enters the groove, to move with the highest velocity; then, as the pin rises to its highest point of radius in the groove, this velocity is decreased; and, finally, as the pin is about leaving the thread, the high velocity is attained again. Thus it is evident that the motion of the screw-thread or spiral plane is elliptical in effect, whereas the universal thread formed according to my-invention acts with an even and regular motion upon the pinwheel. This is due to the thread tapering spirally from the middle to its termini. The

threadof my construction moves the entering pin at first with the lowest speed, and from that with a gradua'lly-increasing speed, then,

when the pin has reached to its greatest'radius in the groove, the speed will have attained its greatest velocity, which, as the pin is about to escape, will have again been decreased to the lowest speed. Thus the regular motion of the pin-wheel is obtained from an irregular motion of the lenticular shaped spiral thread, which latter may be compared to the eccentric motion. In a word, themotion of my thread produces a circular eii'ect upon thepin wheel, that of the common screwthread an elliptical effect on the same. 'The motion in the first case is due to the fact that the prime mover is varying and gives an -un-' varying resultant, and in the second to the fact that the prime mover is nnvarying and gives a varying resultant. In other words, while my thread is equivalent to the eccentrio motion, in principle, the 0V mmon screw is equivalent to the crank motion-i. 0., talc-- ingthe actual motion of the pin-wheel at each rotation of the prime mover and imagining the pin-wheel to be hung' on an axis which allows it to accommodate itself to the motions imparted to it.

When my thread is drawn in gear with the piirwheel, two or more of the pins will always be in full gearing contact with thethread, and the receding pin has a ready escape and an entering pin a free en try. This is due to the tapering of the thread and to the run of the taper in converse directions, in such a manner that the thread partakes very closely of a compound wedge formed of two acute anglefs, the bases of which meet at a point on the, shaft or which is about midway of the apices'of the two angles. In this my universal gearing will be. found to be new in construction and operation.

I will now refer to the modified forms or modes in which my invention may be eurployed.

In Fig. 6 two right-handed lenticularshaped threads, I) I), work in a pin'wheel, 01, motion being communicated on the end of shaft f, and transmitted to the opposite shaft by pinions g g g. By this arrangement a greater power can be transmitted and greater stability and durability are insured.

In Fig. 7 the right-handed lenticular threads 7 and 1" work in the pin-wheel 'n. The driving-shaft receives motion on the handle 1 and is communicated by the pinions z. The advantages of this arrangement are identical with those enumerated as pertaining toFig. 6..

.As clearly shown in Fig. 4, the power of tl.e universal gearing may be increased by simply shifting the lentieular-threaded shaft m from the inner ring of pins lto the outer ring of pins l of the pin-wheel e.

The arrangement as represented in Fig. 5is to give motion of different velocities with the same driving-shaft, such shaft having two lcnticular threads, one, 71, working in the small pin-circles, and the other at h working in the pin-circle it. Thus, if the drivingshaft is turned by one man, a weight raised at 8 would, for example, be as the power of six men, while if raised at 1 it would be the power of twelve men. The principle-of this movementis simple. Every pin increases the power exerted onefold, and can therefore be most economically adapted for any power required.

The universal gearing which I have described, being so simple, compact, and strong, and moving with such minute exactness and little friction, will be found very advantageous in its application to the majority of machines and mechanical devices requiring gearing. A few of these I will enumerate-via, gunslides, guncarriages, gins, cranes, hoistin g apparatus, wiudlasses, capstans, steering apparatus, bolt-pulling machines, stump-pulling machines, plowing machines, turn tables,

draw-bridges, and other stationary as well as movable machines on landand on board ships. Having thus described the elementary parts 'of my improved mechanical movement and shown its-simple construction, its capability of reducing friction, its application to increase and decrease velocity, and an arrangement for equalizing the strain upon the'movement, and having also shown a few instances of its application to different machines and mechanical contrivances, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to these applications of the universal gearing, but that I intend to apply it under any and all circumstances in which it'may be used, and particularly as a substitute for complicated gearing' now in'use for multiplying power.

I am aware that the endless screw or tangent screw, consisting of a regular screwthread cut upon the periphery of a circular disk and forming a screw-wheel, and which gears into a regular threaded screw, is an old and well-known device. Therefore I do not claim such as myinvention.

I am also aware that the worm-gearing, consisting of a screw-thread or spiral plane upon a shaft working or gearing with frictionrollers ofa disk, is an old and wellknown device. Therefore I do not claim such as my invention- I anti-further aware that a spiral thread arranged on a shaft which is rotated by a pin or friction-roller wheel has been employed in connection with harvesters; but I am not aware that such spiral thread was ever designed to operate as a power-shaft to drive the pin-wheel of an organized machine; nor am I aware that such device is capable of operating upon two or more of the pins or rollers of the pin-wheel at one period of time; nor am I aware that a lenticular spiral thread partaking of the character of two acute an gies with their bases meeting has ever been devised prior to my invention for practically operating in any manner as I have described. i

- What I claim as my invention, and des're to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A spiral thread partaking closely of the character of a compound wedge, but in form lenticular, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. In combination with a pin-wheel, a spiral lenticular thread which will practically operate upon two or more of the pins of said wheel at the same time, substantially as set forth.

Witnesses B. T. CAMPBELL, E. SCHAFER. 

